Corinne Allal

Corinne Allal
קורין אלאל
Allal performing at Kabri in 2006
Allal performing at Kabri in 2006
Background information
Born(1955-03-15)15 March 1955
Tunis, French protectorate of Tunisia
Died11 December 2024(2024-12-11) (aged 69)
Israel
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • guitarist
  • composer
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1973–2024
Labels
Websitekorinallal.co.il

Corinne Allal (Hebrew: קורין אלאל; 15 March 1955 – 12 December 2024) was an Israeli rock musician and music producer.

Allal was the 2022 recipient of the Landau Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Israeli music.[1]

Early life

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Corinne Allal was born in Tunisia and immigrated to Israel when she was eight years old. Allal left Tunisia with her mother and brother suddenly and under duress: Allal's father, Hubert, was a Mossad operative and the situation became unsafe for the family.[2] She struggled to feel comfortable in her new country as a French-speaking immigrant, saying that she had been a good student in Tunisia but in Israel she did not perform well in school initially because her Hebrew was not yet very good.[3][4]

Music career

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During her military service she played in various bands of the IDF, including Lehakat Pikud Darom. She was eventually moved to the Combat Engineering Corps military band, where she performed alongside Yehudit Ravitz.[5][6] In the 1970s she performed mainly as a guitarist. She released her first album in 1984. The albums Antarctica (1989), Sfat Imi (native tongue, 1990) and Zan Nadir (A Rare Kind, 1992) were produced by Yehudit Ravitz and enjoyed commercial success in Israel. In 2003 she was awarded the Prize of the Israeli Society of Composers and Music Producers (AKUM). Allal was considered leftist, and lived openly as a lesbian, but her music (particularly the song "Ein Li Eretz Acheret", I have no other country) is popular across the gamut of Israeli society[7] and even beyond: Haredi superstar Lipa Schmeltzer once sang his rendition of Allal's composition, "Ein Li Eretz Acheret", with Allal providing backup on the guitar.[8]

Allal collaborated with many artists throughout her career, contributing vocals to their songs. With Ravitz, she sang backup vocals on Arik Einstein's classic "Atur Mitzchech",[9][10] voted in 2004 as Israel's greatest love song of all time. [11]

Personal life and death

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Allal was married to her personal manager, Ruti Allal. Ruti was also a singer in the past and released her album "The Sweet Forests" in 1997 under her previous surname, Paran.[12] The couple raised their two sons together. In July 2017, they separated after 18 years of partnership, but two years later, they rekindled their relationship. They resided in the moshav Ganot.[13]

In a June 2017 interview with ynet, Allal shared that her participation in the television show "Big Brother" connected her to God and Judaism: "I started reading Psalms there, because in the evenings there was nothing else to do. When I returned home, I continued to connect with God and began discovering Judaism – out of nowhere." According to her, this also tied into her project of composing The Book of Ecclesiastes, which gave her a profound sense of belonging to the Land of Israel.[14]

In 2009, Allal revealed that she had battled breast cancer. In 2023, she disclosed that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.[15]

On 12 December 2024, Allal died at the Tel HaShomer hospital, after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 69 years old.[16][17] [18]

References

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  1. ^ ynet (14 November 2022). "הזמרת קורין אלאל זכתה בפרס לנדאו למפעל חיים". Ynet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  2. ^ "La chanteuse israélienne Corinne Allal s'éteint à 69 ans". i24 News. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Beloved Musician Corinne Allal dies aged 69". Beit Avi Chai. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  4. ^ Naot, Shira. "A Rare Breed | Singer-songwriter Corinne Allal, Among First Openly Gay Israeli Celebrities, Dies at 69". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  5. ^ "⁨מעריב⁩ | עמוד 39 | 26 אוקטובר 1978 | אוסף העיתונות | הספרייה הלאומית". Nli.org.il.
  6. ^ "זמן נדיר: קורין אלאל חוגגת שישים - וממציאה את עצמה מחדש". Maariv.co.il. 15 March 2015.
  7. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (7 June 2016). "Watch: N.Y. haredi singer brings Israeli composer to tears while performing her classic song". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  8. ^ Cnaan, Liphshiz (6 June 2016). "Israeli lesbian composer moved to tears by NY haredi singer's Yiddish version of her classic tune". Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  9. ^ Shalev, Ben (15 December 2024). "Corinne Allal, 1955-2024: An Ever-evolving Israeli Musical Genius". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 December 2024. {{cite news}}: |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help) |archive-date=16 December 2024
  10. ^ "Atur Mitzchech | Hebrew Songs". Hebrewsongs.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  11. ^ נבו, אסף (1 August 2004). ""עטור מצחך" - שיר האהבה הכי אהוב". Ynet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  12. ^ "קול כלה וקול כלה: קורין אלאל התחתנה - וואלה סלבס". וואלה (in Hebrew). 11 June 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  13. ^ "קורין אלאל ובת הזוג נפרדו". mako. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  14. ^ לוקש, אלכסנדרה (26 June 2017). "קורין אלאל: "האח הגדול הפגיש אותי עם אלוהים"". Ynet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  15. ^ "קורין אלאל בווידוי כואב: "ייתכן שיש לי סרטן בלבלב"". Ice.co.il (in Hebrew). 20 July 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  16. ^ "הזמרת והמוזיקאית קורין אלאל הלכה לעולמה בגיל 69 לאחר מאבק במחלת הסרטן". Maariv.co.il (in Hebrew). 12 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  17. ^ Barr, Neria (12 December 2024). "Israeli rock icon Corinne Allal dies at 69 after cancer battle". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  18. ^ "La chanteuse israélienne Corinne Allal s'éteint à 69 ans". i24 News. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
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Media related to Corinne Allal at Wikimedia Commons